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When I approached Dan Meiners in early October about doing a blog series focused on him, his response was, “Of course!” Uh, did I hear him right?! I almost fell out of the office chair I was sitting in when he agreed to my request. Having just partnered with my good friend Courtney to get this baby blog off the ground, bagging an actual blog series with the Dan Meiners was just about more than we could take. We were pretty pleased with ourselves, truth be told.

But before you go giving me credit for coming up with some slick sales pitch to close the deal, let me present one thing for you to consider. Could it be that his response says more about the kind of person he is than it does about my personal power of persuasion? Most assuredly, yes.

In Part I of this blog series, I described Dan as “accessible”. In Part II he stays true to that description, opening up with us to reveal what he does with that personal time he is so very protective of, and what he enjoys doing when he is away from the Studio. Relaxed, and very much at home.

CC: What is the first thing you do when you walk in the door at the end of a long day?

DM: The first thing I do when I walk in the door is go right to the fridge and grab a snack and a drink. I am always hungry after work because I forget to eat. Then I say “hey” to the cats and my husband and sit down for a bit. If it is nice I walk the yard and the rose garden to see what is blooming and then get ready for what is going on later that night.

CC: What is your favorite way to spend an evening, or time, at home?

DM: Dave and I love watching movies and some of the super-bad Housewives shows. We always spend Sunday night together eating Thai food and watching our shows.

CC: Is there one item or object in your home that holds the most value (sentimental or otherwise) and/or that gives you the most comfort? If so, what is it and why?

DM: Objects in the house are not that important to me however much I love them and love to look at them. I do keep photo albums from all over the world, and I always buy the album in the country . I really love a hard copy pic since everyone has them on their computers.

CC: Do you prefer to host holiday meals/get togethers or have someone else play host? Why?

DM: I love to host the meals but it is hard due to schedules. I really love to get out all the china, silver and trimmings and love to make people feel at home. Plus, I love to cook.

CC: Holiday decorating in your own home. Simple or over-the-top?

DM: It is in between since I really like a classic clean look for Christmas. We love all of our ornaments even if some are just junk. We did go a bit overboard on some of our outside trees with 22,000 lights that took special breakers just to run.

CC: What is it about you that you think your parents would say makes them the proudest?

DM: I would say they love that I really live my life, and that they really gave us kids the confidence to do what we like.

CC: When was the last time you got embarrassed? What were the circumstances?

DM: I really do not remember. I need to think about that one.

CC: When you think about the current state of our country, are you discouraged or hopeful? Both? Why?

DM: I feel we are spending more than we have, especially the country. I am included in that, but I feel some of the label stuff is getting less important to me. I also think that people think about other people’s business way too much. It is not my place or anyone else’s to tell someone what to do or how to live their life and with all the divisive politics right now, it is just getting worse.

CC: Of all the issues facing our nation today, what concerns you the most and why?

DM: Washington not working together and the greed that fuels it.

CC: What has been the best thing that’s happened for or to you so far in 2010? What has been the worst?

DM: Getting into my new building and doing it with my partner. But the worst is having to bring work home and talk about it with my partner. It is a fine line we are learning to deal with. Also my partner had open heart surgery and the best thing that happened is that he is better than ever. He is the best.

Author’s Note: Watch for part III, Dan Meiners @ Play, to be up on the site in mid-December. Something tells me I’m in for the party of my life. Also, if you haven’t had a chance yet to meet Dan Meiners, stop by his new Studio at 2500 W. Pennway and say “hello”.

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Sunday is Halloween and we hope you are all getting your ghoulish costumes ready and carving your pumpkins or whatever you like to do on this spooky holiday. Here are a few links to inspire you in between trick-or-treaters and haunted houses.
+ Here is a fun giveaway from the always adorable Rifle Paper Co. They are giving away 2 sets of their cute new Monogram Cards!

+ Anthology magazine is giving away a roll of wallpaper designed by Joy D. Cho of Oh Joy! in addition to a book on Wallpaper Projects by Chronicle books.

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Low overnight temps, Chiefs football, and the Lenexa Chili Challenge coming up on October 16th. The entry deadline for the Challenge may have passed, but that still leaves two excellent reasons to be making chili this weekend.

If you are in need of a vessel for your chili, we’re liking this big chili bowl from Crate & Barrel.

A great big thank you to Anh-Minh Le and Meg Mateo Ilasco for bringing us a brand new PRINT magazine due out this October.

Anthology is a new quarterly shelter and lifestyle magazine that takes a narrative approach to its coverage of home décor, travel, design, entertaining, and culture. I can’t wait to get my hands on that first issue!

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Much of my inspiration comes from a site called Cool Hunting. It was started in 2003 as a designer’s personal resource and is now the source of inspiration for not just little old me, but literally throngs of folks – creative folks looking for inspiration and/or folks simply interested in keeping up with the latest trends and innovations in everything from design to technology. I receive their e-mail daily and usually scan it to see if anything catches my eye. Trust me, it’s fabulous.

Photo courtesy of Cool Hunting

The other day I was cleaning out my in-box and started browsing some issues that had slipped past my usual routine when I found it. It was an article about the Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera, and I was immediately flooded with emotion.

Photo courtesy of Cool Hunting

Seeing the image of this camera brought back so many wonderful memories from my childhood. I was born in 1970, just 2 years before this sleek aluminum and leather beauty. Though the Polaroid cameras we had when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s were relatively inexpensive, made of a cheap plastic, and not nearly as elegant as the one you see here, the moments that were captured in the pictures we took with them are priceless.

When it came time for me to choose a photographer for my 2003 wedding, I went for the traditional wedding photog and chose a very talented but expensive Chicago-area photographer to capture the pre-ceremony, ceremony, and reception in both black-and-white and color. And she really did an amazing job. But for some extra fun – and to have something to look at while I was waiting on the proofs – I decided to offer a Polaroid with a basket of film at the reception which took place on a deck overlooking Lake Michigan. Not quite sure if the idea would catch on or what the result would be, here is just a sampling:

That man in the blue shirt and hat in the picture below, my brother-in-law, was the self-appointed Polaroid photographer. And I am so very thankful that he took on that task. I pulled these photos out after I read the article about the SX-70 and, in a way, completely re-lived that wonderful day.

He had no special training, no certificate or college degree and wasn’t paid a hefty fee. He simply brought a sense of fun and a point-and-shoot mentality to the equation. Sure the fancy photographer’s pictures are excellent. They are exactly what I hoped for and, quite frankly, expected for what we paid. But these instant photos captured, in a spontaneous and somewhat imperfect way the brilliant colors of the dresses and decor, the fun and laid back atmosphere, and the personalities of the people that made that day so special.

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